Where to Stay in Sydney

The Best Areas to Stay in Sydney

• Sydney Lodging & Neighborhood Map

This considerable thriving metropolis was initially built around different rocky bays across the far-reaching Sydney Harbour before it spread inward as the population multiplied to about 5 million. The city center is dominated by companies, so it buzzes during the week, but is surprisingly still on weekends in spite of all the theaters, shopping centers, and historical buildings.

Located on the northern edge of the CBD, Circular Quay in Sydney accommodates some of the city`s most luxurious hotels and serves as the hub for ferry services – often the fastest route and certainly one of the most scenic ways to reach outer suburbs like Manly. Adjacent to Circular Quay, The Rocks is a renovated historic area with superb views and many trendy bars and expensive bistros. Additionally, Darling Harbour offers opportunities to stretch one`s spending limits.

Distinct characteristics entice visitors to other parts of the inner city. Kings Cross exhibits vivacious yet seedy energy blending into upscale Potts Point and the peculiarly spelled Woolloomooloo, home to some refurbished dockyards. In contrast lie tranquil and affluent Double Bay and Watsons Bay. Popular for more affordable lodging, East Sydney appeals while further away yet easily accessible by train, taxi or ferry are iconic Bondi and Manly beaches and North Sydney, a mini-metropolis across the renowned Harbour Bridge.

The Best Places to Stay in Sydney

• Best Luxury Hotels in Sydney

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• Best Boutique Hotels in Sydney
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• Best Cheap/Midrange Hotels in Sydney

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• Best Hotels for Families in Sydney
  Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour • Novotel Darling Harbour

• Top Neighborhoods in Sydney for Sightseeing: Circular Quay and The Rocks
  Coming together at the base of the Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and The Rocks are ideal places to reside and dine. On the northern edge of the city, the former is the hub for buses, trains and ferries, while The Rocks features cobbled lanes lined with classy bistros, trendy bars, tempting shops and historic buildings. Always within view are the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House, and a brief stroll away are the Royal Botanical Gardens, shopping precinct of Darling Harbour, and city center.
• Neighborhood in Sydney Ideal for Nightlife: Kings Cross
  Most theaters are located in the city center, while The Rocks zone showcases old-fashioned yet trendy pubs, frequently supplying live music and outdoor seating with splendid perspectives. For something more vibrant, if not marginally seedy, Kings Cross is filled with bars (occasionally featuring partially unclothed females), as well as dingy movie theaters, low-priced dining establishments, and gambling venues. With numerous places open all the time, the roadways are regularly busier at midnight than midday.
• Best Neighborhood in Sydney for Food & Restaurants: The Rocks
  The Rocks is a charming historic area of stone laneways alongside the harbor, with the dominant Harbour Bridge and Opera House framing the horizon at every angle. The area offers all sorts of stylish bistros, many with prices guaranteed to raise eyebrows, and more casual cafés with outdoor seating. With numerous old barracks and warehouses to explore, and a weekend market to browse about, the area is conveniently adjacent to Circular Quay for excellent connectivity via buses, trains and ferries.
• Best Neighborhoods in Sydney for Families: Bondi and Manly
  Although the commercial heart of Sydney in the city center can become crowded and loud with heavy traffic at times, the business district has a surprisingly calm atmosphere on weekends. A more affordable place to stay that is still within easy access of the downtown core is East Sydney, reachable by a brief bus or taxi ride. Even better is heading to the coastline nearby. Barely 8 km from the city center, Bondi Bay forms a picturesque curved shape with spacious grass areas and a shoreline trail connecting even more scenic beaches. With parks, ample open spaces and two inlets, Manly Beach provides plenty of fun things to do like surfing, swimming, hiking and cycling.”
• Most popular coastal neighborhoods in Sydney: Bondi and Manly
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Most of the far-ranging Sydney Harbour is coated with rocks and cliffs, but the occasional pockets of sand are very scenic and accessible along suburban streets. As the nearest ocean beach to the city center, Bondi boasts considerable surf, which can make swimming problematic, and there is little or no shade. To the south, and accessible along a coastal path, the beaches at Tamarama, Bronte and Coogee are smaller and quieter, but accommodation is very limited. The isthmus at Manly is lined with 2 beaches – 1 harbor-side and calm, the other sweeping and wavy. What’s more, the area bursts with shops, cafés, pubs and hotels, and the ferry trip there is dazzling.

• One of the most convenient areas of Sydney for newcomers to live is the City Centre, as it is well-connected and has many amenities.

Those visiting the location for the initial time will likely want to avoid local transportation, which can be puzzling, and walk to numerous of the city’s attractions. Remarkably peaceful on weekends, the city center still provides innumerable spots to shop, drink, and dine daily. There are also many fascinating museums, historic theaters, and world-renowned boutiques, and within walking distance are Kings Cross (for nightlife), Circular Quay (for transportation), The Rocks (for restaurants) and Darling Harbour (for even more shopping). If that’s not sufficient, trains and buses depart downtown for the beach at Bondi, and ferries cross the harbor to Manly.

• Best Neighborhood for Shopping: Darling Harbour
  While the city center has several contemporary shopping centers (such as the Queen Victoria Building) and busy markets (particularly Paddy’s), and The Rocks provides many gift shops, the prime shopping area remains Darling Harbour. The U-shaped bay is flanked by Cockle Bay Wharf and Harbourside. Both offer numerous levels of places to spend above a variety of ground floor cafés and bars overlooking the harbor.
• Circular Quay is very convenient for transport around Sydney.

Sydney is spread across numerous bays, so ferries play an integral role in the local transport network. On the northern edge of the city center, Circular Quay forms the nucleus for ferries to attractions like Manly Beach, Watsons Bay, and Taronga Zoo. Also well connected by trains and buses to the rest of the city (and airport), Circular Quay is within walking distance of the city center, Darling Harbour, Royal Botanical Gardens, and The Rocks.

• Nicest Quarter for Couples in Sydney: North Sydney
  Only requiring 2-3 train stops from downtown, North Sydney acts as a little city providing numerous lodging, dining, nightlife and retail venues. The scenic waterfront and backstreets of historic Kirribilli and vibrant Milsons Point under the renowned bridge offer wonderful walks and romantic suppers at trendy cafés with beautiful harbor views.
• Best Neighborhood in Sydney for Pedestrian Travel: Eastern Beaches
  Renowned Bondi Beach is popular for swimming, surfing, sunbathing and shopping. For a more rewarding experience than strolling along the esplanade and surrounding backstreets, a coastal trail heads south of Bondi. With boardwalks and plenty of spots to sit to admire the sweeping ocean views, the path leads to the comely Bronte Beach via the stretch of sand called Tamarama, then continues to Coogee, almost as famed as Bondi.
• Safest Areas of Sydney: Manly and Double Bay
  Although a congested and busy city of about 5 million, Sydney is not particularly risky, with the very infrequent crimes mostly opportunistic (e.g. bag theft), or committed by people known to the victims (e.g. assault). With more locals than tourists, the suburban beach of Manly is spacious and well-lit. Also secure are upmarket harbor-side suburbs such as Double Bay.
• The unsafe area of Sydney alluded to is Kings Cross.

While making an effort to tidy its avenues and character, Kings Cross still shows traces of unseemliness, bordering on indecency. It does flaunt grassy paths and pleasant cafeterias, but some of the side-routes are used by troublemakers and the less fortunate. While safe enough during the daytime (with the regular precautions), the region progressively loses its appeal and potentially risks as night progresses.

The 11 Best Neighborhoods in Sydney for Tourists

1. City Centre

Lively and crowded, yet surprisingly tranquil on weekends, the city center is the commercial hub of Sydney. It also offers the finest theaters, various trendy shopping areas, numerous historic buildings, and plenty of eateries and 5-star hotels. It’s walkable to major attractions, for example Darling Harbour, the Royal Botanical Gardens, and The Rocks, and readily connected to the rest of Sydney by ferries from Circular Quay and trains from multiple downtown stations.

• Top Hotels: Four Seasons • Fullerton • Sir Stamford Circular Quay

2. Eastern Beaches

As the nearest ocean beach to the city center, Bondi is popular among tourists and Sydneysiders for its curved bay and iconic status. The sand has a bleached-white color, but the waves are often more suitable for surfing than swimming. Other disadvantages include the lack of shade, extremely crowded conditions on summer weekends, and the lack of a direct train or ferry. The nearby beaches of Bronte, Tamarama and Coogee could arguably be considered nicer, and are certainly quieter, as they are all connected to Bondi and each other by a coastal path.

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3. North Sydney

• Top-Tier Hotels: Grand Millennium • Parkroyal • Hotel Royal • JW Marriott

• Top Hotel: Meriton Suites

4. Darling Harbour

Still undergoing renovations and expansions after numerous decades, this former dockyards area is home to a diversity of places to shop, drink, eat and enjoy, including the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium and Madame Tussauds wax museum. Not as scenic as The Rocks, or as practical for transport as Circular Quay, it remains quite popular, and safe for families. The bay is flanked by 2 malls – Harbourside and the Cockle Bay Wharf – with no shortage of admirably affordable cafés. Several top-tier hotels dominate the skyline, and it’s conveniently reachable from the city center across the footbridge.

• Top-Rated Hotels: Novotel Darling Harbour & Sofitel Darling Harbour

5. The Rocks

Sydney was initially developed around an area now known as The Rocks. Winding cobblestone lanes are lined with lovingly-restored bistros, trendy bars with outdoor seating and live music, and boutiques selling above-average souvenirs. And the weekend street market also pulsates. With dominant views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at every turn, it’s adjacent to Circular Quay, the city hub for all forms of transportation.

• Best Hotel: Pier One Sydney Harbour

6. Circular Quay

The lone city terminal for ferry services across Sydney Harbour is also a major focal point for trains and buses. With many commuters and sightseers exploring The Rocks nearby, Circular Quay is bustling with eccentric shops, street performers with varying skillsets, and eateries to suit all price points. Boasting several top-rated hotels (but nothing more affordable), the district is within easy walking distance of destinations like The Rocks, Darling Harbour, and the Royal Botanical Garden.

The Westin Excelsior located in Florence offers luxurious accommodations and amenities. Their phone number is +39 390 552 7151.

7. East Sydney

Heading away from the inner-city greenery of Hyde Park, East Sydney offers more affordable options than the city center, Darling Harbour, and The Rocks. With small hotels and budget-friendly hostels, and plenty of cafés and bars along tree-lined narrow streets, this area incorporates the suburbs of Paddington, Surry Hills and Woollahra. All are within walking distance of the nightlife at Kings Cross, the famous Sydney Cricket Ground, and the expansive Centennial Parklands. Paddington is home to the famous Paddington Markets each Saturday, while Surry Hills and Oxford Street are the epicenter for Sydney’s proud gay community.

• Top Lodging Facility: Hughenden

8. Kings Cross,Potts Point & Darlinghurst

Love or loathe it, Kings Cross is vibrant to some, seedy to others. While harmless during the day, the area is always fairly tacky. It offers very few upmarket hotels, with most accommodation budget-priced, and inevitably, noisy. Always crowded, especially at night, the streets are lined with cafés, mini-marts, and bars (many featuring strippers). Unsurprisingly, it’s not that safe after dark, so better areas to stay which are still within walking distance are Potts Point, which heads down to the craggy harbor, and Darlinghurst, which is more urbane.

9. Woolloomooloo

Woolloomooloo, an inner-city refurbished docklands region of minimal architectural importance and lower-class housing, has a name that is easier stated than spelled. The highlight is the revitalized Finger Wharf, home to the luxurious 5-star Ovolo hotel, lavish apartments, and a row of stylish harbor-facing cafes. Nearby are the city center; Circular Quay (for ferries) and The Rocks, both via the magnificent Royal Botanical Gardens; and Kings Cross for nightlife (mostly of dubious quality).

The Best Hotel: A high-end lodging located in Woolloomooloo

10. Double Bay & Watsons Bay

The shoreline along the inner southern harbor bends east from the Royal Botanical Gardens as far as the exclusive suburbs of Vaucluse and Watsons Bay. Along the way, Double Bay provides a modest yet welcoming variety of lodging and many upmarket boutiques. Watsons Bay offers magnificent views of the harbor, a charming cove (home to the world-renowned Doyle’s seafood restaurant), and several hidden beaches, mostly familiar only to locals. Both bays are easily accessible by ferry from the city center, and by bus from Bondi.

• The top rated hotel in Sydney is the InterContinental Double Bay located at this address.

11. Manly

Half the appeal of touring Manly is the ferry ride from Circular Quay in the city center. This voyage allows for full frontal vistas of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House (but waves can be alarming in rough weather, and ferries sometimes get cancelled). Along an isthmus, Manly provides 2 beaches. The one inside the harbor is picturesque and calm, while the other, bordered by palms and pines, faces the ocean, and is perfect for surfing. Both beaches are connected by a delightful pedestrian promenade enjoyed by cyclists and skateboarders alike, and the nearby headland houses a national park. Seemingly unlimited cafés, bars and ice-cream shops contribute to the permanent holiday vibe.

• Best Hotel:Sebel Manly Beach